"Especially with the signing of riders with climbing abilities and the new arrival of Tyler Hamilton, who has the strength and ability to become a great leader for the big tours. All in all, I feel this is a very complete team"
About this Quote
Team-building talk in pro cycling is never just about legs; its about leverage. Jalaberts quote reads like a calm roster assessment, but the subtext is strategic: this is a team trying to buy optionality. By emphasizing riders with climbing abilities, he is naming the currency of the Grand Tours. Flatland power wins stages; climbing depth wins three-week wars, protects a leader on bad days, and creates tactical chaos on mountain finishes. He is signaling that the team can now play more than one card.
The Tyler Hamilton mention does extra work. Hamilton is framed not as a helper but as a potential leader, which is both endorsement and insurance policy. In cycling, calling someone a future leader is a way to raise internal expectations and external credibility at the same time: sponsors want a face, rivals want a threat, domestiques want a clear chain of command. Jalabert is also subtly positioning himself (or the existing leadership structure) as confident enough to welcome another alpha. Thats political in a sport where ambition can split a bus in half.
The closing line - "a very complete team" - is classic athlete PR, but it lands because completeness is a coded promise: we can survive the mountains, control the race, and still have enough support to contest overall standings. Its optimism with an agenda, aimed at fans, management, and the peloton all at once.
The Tyler Hamilton mention does extra work. Hamilton is framed not as a helper but as a potential leader, which is both endorsement and insurance policy. In cycling, calling someone a future leader is a way to raise internal expectations and external credibility at the same time: sponsors want a face, rivals want a threat, domestiques want a clear chain of command. Jalabert is also subtly positioning himself (or the existing leadership structure) as confident enough to welcome another alpha. Thats political in a sport where ambition can split a bus in half.
The closing line - "a very complete team" - is classic athlete PR, but it lands because completeness is a coded promise: we can survive the mountains, control the race, and still have enough support to contest overall standings. Its optimism with an agenda, aimed at fans, management, and the peloton all at once.
Quote Details
| Topic | Team Building |
|---|
More Quotes by Laurent
Add to List
